Mission Hospital was founded in Mission Viejo in 1971 and has continued to develop new programs and services to meet the ever changing needs of the community. In 1993, Mission Hospital partnered with CHOC Children’s to provide pediatric services and a year later, became a member of the St. Joseph Health network of care. In 2009, Mission Hospital expanded its geographic footprint to include south Orange County’s coast line by acquiring Mission Hospital Laguna Beach.

Search by Providers Name

Search by Specialty

Mission Hospital has an award-winning staff that is leading the way in medical ingenuity. Our accomplishments have led to such awards as the Outstanding Achievement Award for the Commission on Cancer in 2008 – causing us to be one of 66 hospitals in the entire nation to be honored. Combining care for the mind, body and spirit, we take a unique approach to every individual patient.

The Mission Hospital Foundation embodies the Spirit of Giving by building lifelong relationships with community members and raising funds to support Mission Hospital.
Mission Hospital Foundation will be the critical force in supporting Mission Hospital's vision to serve the community with the most advanced diagnostic care in the world.

Prostate cancer is the one of the most treatable cancers in men —as
long as it’s detected early enough. The best way to do that is through
regular screening.

But knowing when to start and how often to get it done can be confusing.
The recommended schedule for prostate cancer screening has been the subject
of intense debate over the last few years. Some expert bodies, such as
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, have even changed their position
on how frequently, and at what ages, men should be tested.

“If you’re a man in your 50s or 60s, go get screened,” says
Josh M. Randall, MD, a board-certified urologist at
Mission Hospital. “And repeat the screening every year, as part of your routine annual
physical exam, or as often as your doctor recommends.”

Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in men,
Dr. Randall explains. About one in five men will be diagnosed with prostate
cancer during his lifetime.

“Each year, more than 30,000 American men die from prostate cancer,”
Dr. Randall says. “Early screening would save many of those lives.”

What
is Prostate Cancer Screening?

A key component of preventive medicine, screening involves looking for
a disease (like cancer) before a person has any symptoms. If abnormal
tissue is found early enough, it is often easier to treat. By the time
actual symptoms develop, it can be too late to halt the spread of the
disease. At the very least, earlier detection of cancer means easier,
less invasive treatment options with a higher chance of success.

The primary aims of prostate cancer screening are early detection, reducing
the number of deaths from prostate cancer and catching cancers before
they spread to other parts of the body.

Prostate cancer screening is typically conducted by performing two easy
and important tests:

Digital rectal exam. A physical examination in which a doctor or nurse inserts a lubricated,
gloved finger into the rectum to inspect the prostate for lumps or other
suspicious signs.

Dr. Randall offers important advice regarding PSA tests.

"It is important to note that elevated levels of PSA can also occur
from normal growth of the prostate and inflammation or infection of the
prostate—and not necessarily from cancer. Furthermore, even an elevated
PSA level does not mean that a patient is at risk of dying from prostate
cancer.”

Most early-detected cases of prostate cancer have a good prognosis, some
even without treatment. “Many of my prostate cancer patients go
years, decades, or even a lifetime without having to begin therapy,”
he says. “Their slow-growing cancer has never progressed to the
therapeutic stage—and with active surveillance by our care team,
we just make sure we keep on top of it.”

However, some cases are aggressive—and only regular screenings can
help detect aggressive cancers before it’s too late.

Dr. Randall says it’s important for men to thoroughly discuss test
results and their options with their doctors.

“Every patient is different—and every decision is patient-specific,”
Dr. Randall advises. “A man with a prostate cancer diagnosis might
choose to defer treatment—opting instead for a ‘watchful waiting’
approach. But we can only make a good decision if we have all the facts.
And we only have all the facts if a patient has regular screenings.”